Toy tractor



S. l. BERGER May 30, 1933.

TOY TRACTOR I Filed Jul 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l A INVENTOR Samuel Zfie yer BY ORNEYS.

May 30, 1933.

s. BERGER TOY TRACTOR Filed July 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jamaellfieiyer BY fl eard mun,

"15 rugged toy of the afore-mentioned character partially disassembled relation.

Patented May 30, 1933 i e UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A Application filed July 8, 1929. Serial No. 376,793.

My present invention relates to toys, and nection with the accompanying drawings ilmore particularly it pertains to toys of the lustrating one of various possible embodiself-propelled type. ments of the several features of the inven The invention is shown embodied in a toy tion, and wherein:

5 tractor characterized by its ability to climb Fig. l is a perspective view of a toy tracto steep grades, and negotiate unassisted, obtor constructed in accordance with the presstructions and depressions in its pathway ent invention, which would prove insurpassable obstacles to Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional an ordinary self-propelled toy of similar View. thereof,

1 size. Another characteristic of the invention Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional 55 resides in the marked similarity of its ma- View taken on the line 83 of Fig.'2, V V neuvres, when in operation, to those of the Fig. 4 is a vertical transversesectional full sized vehicle which it simulates. View taken on the line 4-4c of Fig. 2, and

An object of the invention is to provide a Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the toy in 60 in which arelatively powerful spring motor The toy preferably comprises twoseparate applies a slow motion and a powerful torque units, one a chassis and power plant and to the driving mechanism of the traction elethe other a body which may be formed in ments, and in which the traction elements are imitation of any type of motor vehicle, and

peculiarly well suited for insuring maxiwhich is removably associated with the 65 mum traction on smooth surfaces as well as chassis. In Fig. 5 these two elements are on rough and uneven ones. 7 designated by the reference characters Another object is to so construct a toy of and B, respectively v this character as to enable it to assume ap- The body B preferably comprises a thlnparently precarious angles both fore and aft gauge, open-bottomed shell-like member 10 70 and laterally without danger of toppling adapted to be cheaply pressed or stamped into over. the desired shape which is adapted to fit over Another object is to embody the chassis the heavy gauge chassis A and completely and power plant in a unitary structure of enclose the same. The chassis is of cheaper" substantially standard design so constructsturdier material and may be of standard 75 ed and arranged that bodies in imitation of size and shape substantially fittingreinforcvarious types and designs of vehicles may be ing bodies of any design. The body is proreadily applied thereto without change in vided with spaced tongues or'the like 11 exthe construction thereof. tending downward from its lower edge and '35 Another object is to provide atoy not only adapted for reception in similarly spaced 80 realistic in appearance but strangely realopenings 12 in 'a plate 13 which coacts with istic in action and which with its slow mothe chassis to enclose the motor mechanism. tion and powerful traction captivates the ob- The tongues are bent over as best shown'in server with its symbolic portrayal of limit- Fig. 1 securely to retain the body and chassis 40 less power and disregard for obstacles. This in assembled relation. The body B may be efiect is enhanced by the sturdy appearance provided with an imitation steering wheel 14 of the toy and its unusual smoothness in acprotruding from its upper wall; it may have tion. exhaust pipes 10a embossed thereon, and may The invention will be more fully underbe otherwise suitably ornamented to simulate stood from the following description in conthe full sized vehicle. 0"

The chassis element is preferably formed to form a top 16 and side walls 17. Mounted in the side walls 17 of the chassis element g are front and rear axles 18 and 19. These axles are mounted in suitable bearings 20 and carry front and rear wheels 21 and 22, respectively, preferably of the disc type formed to present channelled peripheries at 25.

Channels 25 in the present illustration of the invention are V-shaped in cross section and receive resilient traction elements preferably in the form of traction belts 26. As more clearly shown in Fig. 3, these traction belts, throughout that portion of their crosssectional dimension designated 27are shaped to conform to the peripheral grooves 25 of the wheels and are preferably placed around said wheels under a slight tension. The traction belts 26 are preferably formed from relatively soft rubber and they are preferably thicker thanithe depth of the channels 25 to project beyond the periphery of the wheels in their passage therearound as indicated at r 28 in Fig. 3. The surface engaging face of the traction belts .is formed with a plurality of recesses or depressions 30, defining webs 31 between, whichextend transversely of the direction of travel of the traction belts. These traction belts 26 form the means for supporting the toy upon the surface over which it travels and they also furnish the necessary traction for propulsion of the toy over smooth surfaces or obstacles placed in its path as well as up relatively steep grades. The rectangular cells between the side walls of the belt 26 and each of the adjacent webs 31 will under suitable conditions, perform a suction cup action. V

The front driving wheels 21 are fixed with relation to their respective axle 18 which is driven by means of a suitable motor prefer-' ably of the convolute spring type.

To accomplish the driving of the axle a gear 32 is fixed thereto. This gear 32 meshes with the main driving or master gear 33 held by a ratchet plate 80 in one-way driving con- 7 nection with the main shaft 34 of the motor.

'Ratchet plate 80 keyed on the motor shaft is urged by spring 81 against the face of gear 33, free on the motor shaft. Tongues 82 in the ratchet plate engage in slots 83 in the gear 33 positively driving this gear as the motor spring unwinds but as the motor spring is wound with the gear train of which 33 forms a part held against rotation, the ratchet plate slips relatively to gean33. One end of shaft 34 is extended as at 35 and bent to provide a windingkey 36. The shaft 34 is preferably journalled in the side walls 17 of the chassis element and anchors the inner end of a convolute spring 37, the opposite end 28 of which may be anchored as at 39 to the forward portion of the upper wall of chassis element A. To insure proper alinement of the several convolutions of the spring 37 suitable channel plates 38 may be soldered at their upper ends to the top wall of the chassis element A and preferably serve as axial supports for the arbor 34.

A speed multiplication gear train actuated from motor shaft 34 terminates in a suitable centrifugal governor which controls the delivery of energy for the slow speed high torque propulsion of the vehicle.

The governor comprises a yoke member 40 carried by a governor shaft 41 and soldered or otherwise afiixed thereto to rotate therewith. A pair of levers 42 preferably of sheet metal are each fulcrumed intermediate their ends bet-ween pairs of ears 43 projecting from opposite sides of the yoke member 40. The longer arms of the levers 42 are provided with suitable centrifugal weights 45. These weights are formed by reversely bending the relatively wide flat free ends of the levers. Flatsprings 46 normally retain said levers in parallelism and are clamped at their free ends between the folded ends of the levers. The other ends of the springs are retained as shown between the yoke and the lever fulcrums and confined against lateral movement by ears 43. a

The outward movement of the centrifugal weights causes the inner ends of the levers which are curved at 44 to fractionally engage the face of the adjacent side wall 17 of the chassis element. This friction while light will be sufficient to exert the desired retarding effect upon spring 37 of the motor since the torque of the high speed governor shaft is negligible. The arms 42 are swung. about their pivotal point by centrifugal force again st the action of springs 46 which springs as governorshaft speeds decrease also'serve to move the arms 42 into parallelism with. the shaft 41 and in so doing move the curved ends 44 of said arms 42 out of engagement with the adjacent face of the side wall of the chassis element in which position they are shown in Fig. 4. v

The train of speed multiplying gears to governor D is mounted in a suitable frame F, preferably in the form of a plate 50. spaced from the adjacent side wall of the chassis element and by which it may be carried. This train E of gearing preferably comprises shafts 41,52 and 53 the ends of which are preferably mounted in the opposite sidewalls 17 of the chassis element. The shaft 41 has rigidly attached'thereto a pinion 54 which is driven to rotatesaid shaft 41 by means of a large gear 55 mounted upon the shaft 52. A pinion 56 is preferably fixedly attached to the gear 55, and meshes with a large gear 57 on the shaft 53. A pinion 58'preferably is fixed to the large gear 57 and this pinion meshes with the master gear 33.

From the foregoing, it will beobvious that as the spring 37 is permitted to'expend the energy previously stored therein by placing said spring under tension, the front axle 18 will be driven from the master gear 33 through the medium of the gear 32 with which the master gear 33 meshes. The speed at which the front axle is driven is determined by the retarding effect of the governor D due to the friction between the curved ends 44 of the arms 42 and the adjacent face of the side wall of the chassis element. To prevent release of the motor spring during winding a lever 61 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the inner face of the chassis side frame 17 as at 62. The inner end 60 of the lever is movable to block rotation of the governor D by swinging the handle end of the lever (which extends up through slot 60 in the chassis) and consequently the gear trains are held against turning and the spring against unwinding as the winding key is turned. However, the ratchet plate 80 slips relatively to the gear 33 as above described to permit winding of the spring without imparting motion to the toy.

Lever 60 may be swung at any time to stop the toy while in motion. As the spring becomes unwound to the desired extent its outer convolution strikes the governor and thereby locks the gear trains and prevents further unwinding.

In addition to controlling the speed at which the toy is driven, the governor controls automatically the degree of power transmitted by the motor to the traction elements and this phase of the governor operation will now be explained.

Assume that the toy is moving along a relatively smooth surface and in so doing meets an obstruction which it must surmount. The obstruction offers resistance to the forward movement of the toy and as a consequence the governor D is slowed down which reduces or entirely removes the friction at the point of contact of the curved ends of the arms 42 with the adjacent side wall of the chassis element. The reduction or elimination of the friction at this point by reason of the slow rate of speed of rotation of the governor D permits the spring 37 to exert its full force directly upon the front axle 18 from which it is transmitted to the traction belts 26 and causes the toy to move over the obstacle. Upon passing clear of the obstacle, and upon a relatively level surface again, the motor speeds up the governor until the curved ends 44 of the arms 42 engage the adjacent side wall of the chassis element and'thus produce sufiicient friction to cause the motor to operate again at the desired slow speed.

To give a realistic appearance to the toy, a suitable figure in imitation of an opera tbr may be employed. This figure is preferably retained in position upon a seat 15 by means of a spring tongue 71 carried by the figure. 7 0 and adapted to be received in an opening 72 in the seat 15. From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel toy which is unique in appearance and operation, is; sturdy inYconstruction and which can be manufactured at a relatively low cost. I While. the invention has been herein illustra-ted in its preferred form, it is to be understood that it is not limited to the form in which it is illustrated and that it may be carried out in such other forms as rightfully fall within the purview of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a toy of the self-propelled type, a chassis and power plant assembly of substantially standard construction, and a body-simulating member in the form of a shell adapted to substantially fit over, snugly embrace, and

conceal said chassis member.

2. In a toy of the self-propelled type, a chassis and power plant assembly of substantially standard construction, and heavy gauge material, a body-simulating member in the form of a light gauge shell adapted 'to snugly fit, enclose and be internally reinforced by said chassis member, and means for securing said chassis element and said body-simulating shell together. v

3. In a toy of the self-propelled type, a chassis and power plant assembly of substantially standard construction, a body-simulating member in the form of a shell adapted to 1 receive therein said chassis member for fitted union, and means for securing said chassis element and said body-simulating shell together, said means including a plate constructed and arranged to close the body-simulating member about the chassis element.

4. In a toy of the self-propelled type, a chassis and power plant assembly comprising a sheet metal body member of substantially inverted U-shaped cross-sectional form, a body-simulating shell member adapted to receive and snugly fit said chassis element, and a plate adapted for attachment to said shell member to secure the chassis element therein and close the bottom of the chassis.

5. In a toy of the self-propelled type, a

said shell member to secure the chassis element therein, and to enclose the motor in said chassis element.

6. A toy of the self-propelled type including a chassis element, traction means therefor, and a motor for driving said traction means, said motor including a main driving shaft extending transversely of the chassis element and a convolute spring carried by said transversely extending shaft, and positioned in a plane at right angles to the axis thereof, and means depending from the top of the chassis element and flanking said spring on both sides to prevent distortion thereof.

Signed at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey this 5th day of July A. D. 1929.

SAMUEL I. BERGER. 

